Cyanotypes.

Cyanotyping is a process that has interested me for as long as I can remember and I’ve finally began to experiment with it, producing floral images on tote bags and cards.

Discovered in the 1840s, it uses a combination of UV-sensitive compounds to create a silhouetted image. One of it’s earliest users was Anna Atkins, botanist and photographer. She used it to create images of seaweeds and published her book ‘Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions’ in 1843; this is widely accepted as the first book illustrated with photographs.

Even though the process is a scientific one, it’s a bit magical too. When the cyanotype compound is mixed and applied to a surface it’s bright yellow. During exposure it turns green, blue through to a bronzed colour. After exposure, the cyanotype is washed, turning it bright blue again. It finally settles into it’s deep blue tones over 24hrs following washing as the image matures. Any areas not exposed to the UV light- covered by the shadow of an item applied over the cyanotype- is left white when the unexposed cyanotype is washed off.